“Butter Swim Biscuits” Are Really Something Special But So Easy

If there was one thing I could count on from my Grandma Olga Mae, it’s that there would always be biscuits at Sunday supper. Normally she would make her flaky buttermilk biscuits before leaving for church, but every once in a while she would whip up what she called a biscuit cake. I now recognize them as being very similar to butter swim biscuits.

When developing my own butter swim biscuit recipe, I started by melting butter in a square baking pan. Then I made what can only be described as a pourable biscuit dough and spread it into the pan of melted butter.

It may seem like too much butter—I certainly thought so. But it's the same amount of butter you'd add into classic biscuit dough.

While it baked, the biscuit dough soaked up all the butter, creating the fluffiest, most buttery-tasting biscuits of my life with an almost cake-like consistency. And so now I get why Olga Mae called it her biscuit cake. The biscuits also developed a crispy bottom and sides, reminiscent of focaccia. I loved everything about them.

This recipe makes nine big, fluffy, tall biscuits. To serve, you can drizzle your butter swim biscuits with honey, smear them with some jam, or—oh my goodness—bring on the sausage gravy. They would also be delicious with a bowl of stew or soup.

Simple Substitutions

• If you don’t have buttermilk, you can substitute with plain yogurt. You can also use whole milk instead for a milder flavor. If you use milk, exclude the baking soda and add one more teaspoon of baking powder for a total of 3 teaspoons.
• I use unsalted butter so that I can control the saltiness of my baking. If you only have salted butter, decrease the salt in your biscuits by half, using 1/2 teaspoon. 
• If you are using table salt instead of kosher salt, decrease by half, using 1/2 teaspoon. 

Biscuit Party

• Classic Southern Biscuits
• Cheddar Bay Biscuits
• Drop Biscuits
• Angel Biscuits

Preheat the oven to 450°F.

Make the dough:

In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add the buttermilk and mix just until a wet dough forms (the dough will be runnier than typical biscuit dough). Some small lumps are fine. Let the dough rest for 5 minutes while you prepare your pan.

Prepare the pan and transfer the dough:

Place your butter into an 8 or 9-inch square baking pan and place in the oven until melted, about 3 to 5 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven.

Scrape the biscuit dough into the center of the pan, onto the melted butter. Use an offset spatula or rubber spatula to gently spread the dough evenly across the pan until it touches all the sides. It is OK if some of the butter pushes up to the top, just keep going.

Divide the dough:

Spray both sides of a bench scraper or large knife with nonstick spray and cut the unbaked dough into 9 equal pieces, two cuts up and down, and two cuts right to left. Wipe your bench scraper or knife, respray it, and go back over your lines one more time. It’s OK if the lines aren’t super defined—the dough is runny and will want to pool back together.

Bake:

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, turning the pan around halfway through the baking time. They are done when the biscuits are golden brown on top and are beginning to pull away from the sides of the pan. You may still see some butter bubbling along the sides. Allow the biscuits to rest for at least 5 minutes before slicing and the butter will be absorbed.

Slice along the lines you already made and serve.

Like most biscuits, these are best eaten the same day that you bake them. If you do have leftovers, you can wrap them in plastic wrap and keep them for up to 2 days. To reheat, remove from the plastic, wrap in some aluminum foil, and heat in a 350°F oven for 5 to 10 minutes. 

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